worley76

Does anyone out there know of any active stream teams on the Niangua.

Put in a six mile float on the upper Niangua and had a pretty good day. Caught around 20 smallies with the biggest being 14 3/4 inches. I was hoping for some big fish but all in all it was another awesome day. The river is very low and many of the riffles are jammed up with rootwads, but that's the natue of the upper end. Maybe this rain will help. Anyone else out there catching any decent Niangua smallmouth? .

Just wondering if anyone out there has read this book. I came across it a few years ago but couldn't find a copy anywhere since it was long out of print. If you have an interest in the Niangua it is a most read.....chalked full of history. I did finally come across a copy on amazon awhile back. A fella out in Oregon had it and I got lucky and beat everybody else to it. My wife was not happy with the price I paid though!!!!

Reading through this thread I am very pleased to see that everyone out there has a good grasp of our rights as users of a public, navigable waterway. Anytime, and I reiterate, anytime we are within the ordinary high water mark we are perfectly legal. Stand up for your right to be there. Now the spring branch brings about some gray area in riparian rights. (Oh by the way, I have a background in Land Surveying) The issue with all this is the definition of a navigable waterway. Most states, including Missouri, considers any river or stream navigable when it can be used in trade or some form of commerce. The Niangua itself falls under this, making it a public water way and allowing all public users to freely use the river between the ordinary high water mark. If a stream is deemed non navigable by intermittent flow then the adjacent landowner owns the stream bed, or in the case of different land owners on each side, the property line would be to the thread, or center line, of the stream. So if you step on the stream bed you are trespassing. I believe the spring branch would probably fall under a non navigable stream since in reality the possibilities of using it for commerce are nil. Now with all that said, if there is water enough in any tributary stream to float up without getting out or touching the bottom its really hard to say that you would be technically trespassing since you accessed it from the navigable water and didn't touch any land. Remember, they own the land including the stream bed, but not the water. (Theres that gray area). If I could paddle up to the spring without touching any form of land I might consider it. Don't take me wrong here, I'm not saying to take off up to the spring the next time you see you can paddle up to it but just keep this in mind if you are ever told that that spring can only be experienced by the landowner. Riparian rights cause endless issues for landowners, surveyors, the courts, and everyday people that are harassed by paranoid folks that feel their money has given them the right to everything.. Niangua River Ranch...... If your reading this, feel free to DM me since you obviously don't like to speak in public and remember, we all own the river, not just you.

My personal favorites have to include Stars Up Stream, Ozark Pioneers, and by far a book written in 1979 by Glenn Boone Skinner titled the Big Niangua River. The Niangua is my home water and I searched and searched for this long out of print book. I finaly came across a copy that a guy had in Oregon.......my wife was not happy when she found out what it cost. Another great book I just finished is A homeland and Hinterland by Donald L Stevens Jr. It gives a great history of the Current River. It was printed in 1991 and the National Parks Service has an electronic copy on their website if you don't want to buy it. (gunna buy my own copy after the wife cools off from my BNR purchase) Heres the link....its worth the time to read. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/ozar/index.htm

Well said!!!!! Couldn't agree more.

We were between Williams ford and Windyville bridge. (K&P bridge) That should be a great float from Barcley to Leadmine. (Very few people due to inaccessibility.) There are some good smallmouth in that stretch as well as some real nice largemouth. There should still be some great trout fishing in those waters as well. I'm not much on trout myself but after Bennett got flooded out in December its hard to fish anywhere from Bennett to Leadmine and not catch a few rainbows. Good luck and let me know how you do. The Niangua is my home water and I always like to hear how folks do.

The wife and I took the mad river canoe down to the Niangua river Saturday and all in all had a pretty good trip. Didn't catch any monsters but got on to a few on a 3 inch craw colored tube. Picked up most of the fish around some large boulders that lined the eddy we were in. The river is pretty low so the flow didn't amount to much, but anywhere we could find a little moving water around those boulders we found the better fish. Love those river smallies!!!!!! Anyone else catching any decent river smallmouth? Ya......... I know, I need some sun!!!!!! HA!!!!!

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. The name is Jason and I live for the rivers. Ever since my father set me down on the bank of Lindley creek I have been addicted to moving water. Smallmouth bass are my main game and pretty much any weekend from April to early November you'll find me in my Kayak on the river. The Niangua is where I spend most of my time, but I try to squeeze in a few trips to the gasconade and the current each year. Thanks for a great forum and I look forward to learning from everyone out there.